1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to switches that are attached to an apparatus and, more specifically, to a switch that has a housing which is particularly shaped to mate with a first opening in a thin plate so that the switch can be attached to the apparatus without the need for additional screws or other fasteners.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many types of snap switches have been known to those skilled in the art for many years. One of the earliest snap switches is described in U.S. Pat. No. 1,960,020, which issued to McGall on May 22, 1934. The McGall patent describes improvements in snap switches that are formed of thin leaf springs. The snap switch described in the McGall patent consists of a contact arm that is operatively mounted so that its free end moves between two stop positions. The contact arm comprises a thin leaf spring operatively supported at one end in cantilever fashion, the other end being free to move, in combination with adjacent parallel compressed spring means attached to the free end of the thin leaf spring.
Most switches comprise a housing that is provided with one or more holes to permit the attachment of the spring to an external device. The McGall patent described above provides two holes through the housing structure of a switch for this purpose. Mounting a switch to an apparatus in this matter, with screws or other fasteners that extend through openings in a switch housing, requires the expenditure of time and money that increases the total costs of the apparatus with which the switch is associated. For example, if a household appliance, such as a dishwasher, washing machine or clothes dryer, requires the use of a switch that is screwed or bolted to the frame of the appliance, the total cost of the appliance is increased by the inclusion of the bolts or screws and the time required for an operator to assemble the switch to the frame of the appliance. It would therefore be significantly beneficial if a means could be provided to simplify the attachment of a switch to an apparatus and eliminate the need for the use of screws or other fasteners to attach the switch to the appliance.